Dual Panel1AFTER this disturbance had died down, Paul sent for the disciples and after speaking encouragingly said goodbye to them, and set out on his journey to Macedonia.
2As he made his journey through these districts he spoke many heartening words to the people and then went on to Greece,
3where he stayed for three months. Then when he was on the point of setting sail for Syria the Jews made a further plot against him and he decided to make his way back through Macedonia.
4His companions on the journey were Sopater a Beraean, the son of Pyrrhus, two Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, and two Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus.
5This party proceeded to Troas to await us there,
6while we sailed from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and joined them five days later at Troas, where we spent a week.
7On the Saturday, when we were assembled for the breaking of bread, Paul, since he intended to leave on the following day, began to speak to them and prolonged his address until midnight.
8There were a great many lamps burning in the upper room where we met,
9and a young man called Eytychus who was fitting on the windowsill grew more and more sleepy as Paul's address became longer and longer. Finally, completely overcome by sleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up as dead.
10But Paul went down, flung himself beside him and holding him gently in his arms, said, "Don't be alarmed; he is still alive."
11Then he went upstairs again and, when he had broken bread and eaten, continued a long earnest talk with them until daybreak, and so finally departed.
12As for the boy, they took him home alive, feeling immeasurably relieved.
13Meanwhile we had gone aboard the ship and sailed on ahead for Assos, intending to pick up Paul there, for that was the arrangement he had made, since he himself had planned to go overland.
14When he met us on our arrival at Assos we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene.
15We sailed from there and arrived off the coast of Chios the next day. On the day following we crossed to Samos, and the day after that we reached Miletus.
16For Paul decided to sail past Ephesus with the idea of spending as little time as possible in the province of Asia. He hoped, if it should prove possible, to reach Jerusalem in time for the day of Pentecost.
17At Miletus he sent to Ephesus to summon the elders of the church.
18On their arrival he addressed them in these words: "I am sure you know how I have lived among you ever since I first set foot in Asia.
19You know how I have served the Lord most humbly and what tears I have shed and what trials have come to me through the plots of the Jews.
20You know I have never shrunk from telling you anything that was for your good, nor from teaching you in public or in your own homes.
21On the contrary I have most emphatically urged upon both Jews and Greeks repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus.
22And now here I am, compelled by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I do not know what may happen to me there,
23except that the Holy Spirit warns me that imprisonment and persecution await me in every city that I visit.
24But I do not consider my own life important or valuable to me, so long as I can finish my course and complete the ministry which the Lord Jesus has given me in declaring the good news of the grace of God.
25Now I know well enough that not one of you among whom I have moved as I preached the kingdom of God will ever see my face again.
26That is why I must tell you solemnly today that my conscience is clear as far as any of you is concerned,
27for I have never shrunk from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.
28Now be on your guard for yourselves and for every flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you guardiansyou are to be shepherds to the Church of God, which he won at the cost of his own blood.
29I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you without mercy for the flock.
30Yes, and even from among you men will arise speaking perversions of the truth, trying to draw away the disciples and make them followers of themselves.
31This is why I tell you to keep on the alert, remembering that for three years I never failed night and day to warn every one of you, even with tears in my eyes.
32Now I commend you to God and to the message of his grace which can build you up and give you your inheritance among all those who are consecrated to him.
33I have never coveted anybody's gold or silver or clothing.
34You know well enough that these hands of mine have provided for my own needs and for those of my companions.
35In everything I have shown you that by such hard work we must help the weak and must remember the words of the Lord Jesus when he said, 'To give is happier than to receive'."
36With these words he knelt down with them all and prayed.
37All of them were in tears, and throwing their arms round Paul's neck they kissed him affectionately.
38What saddened them most of all was his saying that they would never see his face again. And they went with him down to the ship.